“Discipline, like gluten, can be a bitch, but she might also turn out to be our best teacher,” says Susan Zelouf …
In a Venn diagram illustrating the relationship between Austrian-born gazillionaire actor/businessman/politician/pro-bodybuilder Arnold Schwarzenegger and me, the only obvious intersection would appear to be beefcake, the oiled, bronzed topography of the former California governor’s most valuable real estate holding, and two of my favourite foods.
A key takeaway from Arnold, the cosy Netflix series documenting the lift and times of unlikely megastar Schwarzenegger is the shockingly simple secret of his succe$s: unwavering determination fuelled by Mr Olympia-sized dreams. He credits a desire to escape a punishing childhood, pumped by an elixir of blood, sweat and tears (spiked with the judicious use of steroids), but it is the pleasure he takes from being disciplined that turns out to be a teaching moment. As improbable as the relationship forged between an octopus and a diver in My Octopus Teacher, Arnie’s Terminator-as-life-coach is my new mentor; who better to help build a killer version of the future than a cybernetic assassin who actually comes from the future? In the gov’s approach to life and work, discipline is the ultimate form of free will. Please don’t @ me with “what about the groping?” for looking to Maria Shriver’s flawed ex-husband as role model. In Arnie, we witness what is possible when we identify what we really really want and go whole-hog, all-in, facing fears as we finally commit. Leaving comfort zones, we cross the threshold between heaven and earth, from energy to embodiment, encountering allies and confronting enemies, doing the necessary work to connect with our deepest hopes and manifest our wildest dreams. Is it easy? No, but then what struggle is a piece of cake? Discipline, like gluten, can be a bitch, but she might also turn out to be our best teacher.
“Discipline is remembering what you want.” David Campbell
So is it possible to learn how to be disciplined, to identify, pursue and achieve long-term goals, to run with the wolves, even if one’s spirit animal is the sloth? Industries have been built around failed diets, unused gym memberships, stagnant careers and dead-end relationships; what’s the secret sauce for turning the beat around and embracing change, motivating us to move through pain towards pleasure? What glue steels us to stick around as we eyeball sexy distractions?
I asked Operation Transformation’s weight-loss expert Dr Eva Orsmond’s advice on stiffening flaccid resolve during a luxurious stay under her charge at Solar Alvura, Dr Eva’s Health & Wellness Hotel in the Algarve. You’d think spending a hefty sum to get in shape and lose the weight I’d gained since amassing a wardrobe of size 10s (and aspirational 8s) would be motivation enough, combined with Dr Eva’s nutritional guidance, daily weigh-ins, coastal walks and yoga classes, buoyed by calorie-controlled meals as delicious to look at as they are to eat. But just as neurosexuality posits that the brain is the body’s most powerful sex organ, the mind is our most consequential instrument in tuning self-discipline. Tanned, toned and trimmer after a week’s reboot, I left Solar Alvura with a couple of boxes of Dr Eva’s lo-cal, high-protein “Elven” bread and a mantra attributed to Abraham Lincoln she suggested I tape to my fridge: “Discipline is choosing between what you want now and what you want most.” That, and The Terminator’s vow: “I’ll be back.” @susanzelouf
1. I’M ORGANISING my desk with a Kiara Gold 4 Cup with tray yoke from www.worldmarket.com.
2. I’M WEARING winter white from Prada AW23.
3. I’M SPORTING menswear for women in The Row’s double-breasted Diana wool-blend overcoat. www.mytheresa.com.
4. I’M PRACTISING scales on a custom violin by Co Down violinmaker Peter Boardman. www.boardmanviolins.com.
5. I’M SORTING bills with an oversize matte black Gather paper clip, to order from www.nordstjernecph.com.
6. I’M ARRIVING on time in an Ansley Watch Company Tri Gá Gréine 301 timepiece, assembled in Ireland. From a selection at www.ansleywatches.com.
7. I’M BOOKENDING my work/life with gilded snails from www.anthropologie.com. Expect to wait for delivery…
8. I’M GETTING out of my own way with guidance from Brianna Wiest’s The Mountain is You.
9. I’M LOOKING the business in Alexander McQueen RTW AW23.
10. I’M WRAPPING up in style in The Landskein’s limited edition, expertly tailored lambswool Hawthorn coat. www.thelandskein.com.
11. I’M EDGING out the competition with help from Jeff Olsen’s The Slight Edge, borrowed from Portlaoise’s new County Library on Main Street.
12. I’M BAGGING Bottega Veneta’s carinissima Cassette hedge green intrecciato leather mini bucket bag from www.net-a-porter.com.
13. I’M EARRING voices in Roxanne Assoulin’s Twinkle Twinkle enamel and cubic zirconia hoops. www.modesens.com.
14. I’M POINTING in the right direction in Manolo Blahnik’s BB90 black suede pumps, at Brown Thomas.